ANVËIN
ANOLINI PIACENTINI
The Anolini are a type of stuffed pasta coming from the Province of Piacenza. It is a dish with ancient roots handed down from generations in Piacenza’s families. The tradition wants that during Christmas Eve the family would meet to prepare the Christmas’ Anolini – “anvëin d’ Nadäl” as they are called in our area. It is a rich and elaborate dish as, after all, many courses proposed in occasion of important festivities, but the whole of the ingredients makes it a refined dish.
PREPARATION
Prepare the beef stew tying the lean meat with one or two clove of garlic, then brown everything in butter adding a small onion, a stalk of celery, a carrot, pepper, salt, various flavourings, red wine and, as you like, some broth; complete cooking being careful that it is on a low heat for about four hours (check often the cooking) and as soon as you realise that there aren’t any liquid parts anymore, stop the cooking. Now proceed to chop up the beef stew and add some breadcrumbs with the remaining liquid parts and after doing this proceed to mix together grated Grana cheese, eggs, nutmeg with the finely chopped beef stew. Put aside the prepared filling and proceed to the preparation of a thin phyllo dough with eggs and flour, organise the filling in many little balls that you’ll lay down on the phyllo dough, bend the dough and cut preparing the Anolini. They have to be put into the oven and served with grated cheese and nutmeg, or they can be served dry flavoured with butter, nutmeg and cheese.
(Translated by Laura Fugazzi)